The Prince and the Assassin
by SWWoman
Summary: John is the heir to the throne of an European country. Joss is the CIA agent assigned to maybe kill him. But since it's John and Joss, they fall in love.
1. Chapter 1

**_Some notes on this AU:_**

 ** _This story is inspired by the recent wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle (without the obnoxious father-in-law). I thought it be would interesting to make Joss the CIA assassin, but don't worry John is still his same badass self. You'll see that in Chapter 2. There will also be angst, fluff, and smut._**

 ** _The kingdom of Montrose is roughly based on England. I actually named it after a defunct English Duchy. In my head canon, Montrose is another island nation slightly south of the isle if Great Britain, about the size of Ireland. I hope you enjoy the way I've worked in the usual POI characters, I tried to keep them in character._**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Mark Snow looked around the table with a smile on his face as his team sipped their coffees and waited patiently for him to begin the briefing. Well two of them were patient, the third, Sameen Shaw, looked like she was ready to kill someone. But then she always looked like that.

The other two women, Zoe Morgan and Jocelyn Carter, were far more professional. Zoe, a former ballerina, was lean and elegant. Jocelyn, one of the first women to pass the rigorous Ranger testing and serve in that elite unit, was all luscious curves that could kill in thousands of different ways. Shaw, despite her murderous attitude, was beautiful with big dark eyes and a petite frame. Mark was amused to hear that his lethal ladies were referred to around the CIA as The Dates with Death.

"Quiz time, ladies," Mark said as he dimmed the lights and punched a button on his laptop, bringing up a map of Europe with one island country marked in red. "Tell me what you know about Montrosian politics."

"Montrose is a small country, but strategically located by important shipping lanes. It's been consistently America's most reliable ally in Europe," Zoe rattled off.

Jocelyn took up the tale. "Ruled by King Harold, graduate of MIT, and his wife Queen Grace. Harold is considered a genius with technology, and has turned his country into an international tech powerhouse. He and his younger brother founded the tech company IFT that is a major part of the Montrosian economy. His subjects enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world."

Zoe nodded. "Montrose may be small but King Harold wields tremendous influence in the European Union. The other heads of state listen to him. He convinced them to support the war."

"He had two younger brothers, Nathan and Connor. Nathan is still alive, he runs the day to day operations of IFT. He's a real Don Juan and his philandering ways blew apart his marriage. As one commentator put it, he's a 'reliable source of scandal.' As a matter of fact, he had to renounce his claim to the throne after a few too many scandals. Before his divorce he and his wife had one kid, William. Nathan also has an illegitimate daughter Kara, from his affair with an American woman. Kara grew up in America, but she holds the title of Duchess.

"Connor was the youngest brother. He wasn't involved in IFT, he went into the Coast Guard and became a rescue pilot. He was killed many years ago on a mission when his helicopter experienced mechanical problems and crashed. He also had one kid, John.

"Harold was injured in a terrorist bombing several years ago, one that killed Crown Prince William. Since then he's been very active in efforts to fight terrorism," Shaw finished.

"Excellent my dears," Snow approved. "Since William died, Harold's nephew Prince John is next in line for the throne." A click of the mouse brought up a picture of a handsome man with startling blue eyes and back hair going to salt and pepper. Shaw was indifferent but Snow could see that both Zoe and Jocelyn sat up straighter and stared at the screen.

"When John was born he was so far down the line of succession that the only way he was going to attend a coronation was by invitation. He and his parents lived a quiet, fairly normal life. Then Harold and Queen Grace discovered they were unable to have children and couldn't produce an heir. Nathan was next in line, but, as Zoe already mentioned, he had to renounce his claim since he didn't keep his pants zipped. That left William as the heir.

"Then William was killed in the bombing. Normally Connor would have been next in line, but he was already dead. That left John. Should John die, his illegitimate cousin Duchess Kara would inherit the throne.

"Before John was heir to the throne, he was in the Montrosian armed services, Omega Unit."

Sameen and Jocelyn, both military veterans, looked impressed. Zoe fidgeted. "Help a girl out here guys, what's an Omega Unit?"

"Montrosian special forces," Jocelyn replied. "He's like a SEAL, or a Ranger, or a British SAS. Those guys are good with a capital G. They saw some pretty heavy action in Iraq in Afghanistan. From what I understand, Prince John was in the thick of it."

"Yup, he holds their equivalent of the Medal of Honor for taking out a machine gun nest and saving his entire unit." Sameen took a sip of coffee. "He's supposed to be an ice cube under fire. Too bad the reporters reported where he was stationed. It was deemed too dangerous for him to remain after that. He and his unit would have been a target for every terrorist cell in the nation."

"As I recall, there was some trouble with his wife while he was overseas," Zoe said. "Didn't she die?"

Mark brought up a picture of the handsome Prince posed in a formal wedding portrait with a slender blonde. "Princess Jessica. She cheated on him while he was deployed to Iraq because she was 'lonely'," Mark put air quotes around the last word, his voice dripping with contempt. "Unfortunately she wasn't very careful in her choice of lovers and picked Peter Arndt, a real estate tycoon with a temper. She refused to loan him the money he needed to save his empire and he punched her. She fell and hit her head, against a counter, killing her instantly.

"Prince John was devastated." Another picture of the prince, this time his hair and beard were long and scruffy and he looked like he had been sleeping in his clothes for a week. "He descended into alcoholism. Rumor has it he tried suicide.

"However he seems to have settled down. Harold brought him home and cleaned him up. Since he is now the heir to the throne, he had to leave the armed forces and embarked on the standard royal career as philanthropist. Thanks to his Uncle Harold, he has plenty of money to give away. He's quite popular in his country thanks to his good works and good looks."

"So what's the mission?" Sameen was getting impatient.

"Prince John has been questioning the war and. because he's a veteran, people are listening. King Harold is sixty years old and in poor health, thanks to the bomb. We may be about to lose one of our best allies and we need to make sure the person who succeeds him is a good ally too.

"Your job is to get close to John and determine if he's trustworthy. If Harold kicks off tomorrow, will America still be able to count on Montrose?"

Jocelyn frowned. "So what happens if we determine that John isn't going to play nice with us?"

Snow brought up another picture, this time of a brunette woman with sharp features. "We eliminate him so that his cousin, Duchess Kara can take the throne. She was born and raised here in the US by her American mother. She's a patriot."

"But she's also bat shit crazy," Sameen sniffed. "I met her once on a mission, she's unstable."

"Which is why we haven't killed Prince John outright." Snow leaned back in his chair. "We would prefer a stable person on throne. John is popular in his country, Kara is not."

"Quite the dilemma," Zoe commented.

"Yup. We're the ones to solve it," Mark said. He passed out briefing sheets. "Tonight is the Spring Gala, a benefit for veterans. Prince John will be there, and so will you. You are to attract his attention, get to know him, and determine if he will be an asset to the US. See you tonight at 8."

* * *

Crown Prince John of Montrose descended the staircase into the Veteran's Spring Gala Benefit Ball warily. He hated this. He hated how everyone would insincerely kiss his ass all night long, he hated dressing up in his tuxedo, and he hated that he had to do it all alone. Nights like this he really missed Jessica, she was the social one. He could just turn her loose and follow her around while she worked the room. His heart ached in his chest at the thought of his deceased wife. He had loved her so much it was probably unhealthy, and she had repaid his love with betrayal. Now he was all alone in all the ways that mattered.

"Your bow tie is crooked again," a voice in his ear chirped.

John rolled his eyes. Samantha Groves, code name Root, chief of security for the Royal Family, was outside in the surveillance van. She and her small team of crack hackers had already hacked into the hotel security system and were watching through the hotel cameras. All members of the royal family wore small unobtrusive earwigs in their ears during all official functions so the security team could communicate with them, but remain out of sight. It was a wise precaution, but Root took far too much joy in annoying the Prince.

"You should have let Lionel tie it for you, his is straight," Root chirped again.

John glanced behind him at Lionel Fusco, his loyal bodyguard and friend. Lionel was a former NYPD detective who had refused to join a corrupt group of cops and was forced to leave New York for his and his family's safety. John still wasn't sure how Root found him and brought him to Montrose, but he was forever grateful for his friend. Lionel was rather non-descript looking, average height, receding hair line, slightly pudgy, and definitely not handsome, but he was whip smart and thought fast on his feet. He was one of the few people who could keep up with Prince John and he was fiercely loyal.

Lionel saw John looking at him and shrugged. "Coco Puffs is right, it's not straight." One of Lionel's more amusing quirks was that he liked to give people descriptive nicknames, and he thought Root was slightly insane, so he was always referring to her by such endearments as "Coco Puffs" and "Fruit Loops." Oddly, it never seemed to bother her.

Was Root insane? John didn't think so, but she was fanatically devoted to his Uncle Harold, and by extension the entire Royal family. He could see how that could be interpreted as insanity, but no more so than any other patriot. His cousin Duchess Kara, who had been raised to be a fanatical American patriot by her mother as a big Fuck You to her father, his Uncle Nathan, was an excellent example of patriotism bordering on mental illness.

"Any security threats that you see?" Lionel asked.

"So far so good," Root replied. "Your former colleagues are doing a good job."

Lionel snorted. "Keep your eyes peeled, they ain't that good."

"Don't worry sweetie, I'm here for you!"

John tried not to sigh, Root's simpering voice grated on his nerves, and he was already wound up tight tonight.

He reached the bottom of the stairs. "Shall we?" she said to Lionel.

"Let's get this over with. We may be able to catch the last half of the west coast game if we work this right."

John eyed the huge room packed with people. "Doubt it." Then he stepped forward with a smile on his to begin greeting the movers and shakers of New York society.

* * *

The Dates with Death were already circulating around the room when Prince John made a quiet entrance. Mark Snow surveyed his ladies with satisfaction, knowing they stood out from the crowd. Shaw was dressed in a flowy, white halter dress that set off her tan skin perfectly. Zoe was in a black dress with a plunging neckline and thigh high slit. Joss was in a red strapless dress with a black lace overlay over red satin on the tight fitting bodice and sheer black material over more red satin on the full floor length skirt. All three had already attracted considerable attention from the males in the room.

Joss and Zoe stood together and watched the Prince descend the stair case without fanfare. "Got to be one of our more handsome marks," Zoe commented idly. "But you'd think a man in his position would have learned to tie a bow tie before now."

Joss didn't reply. She was riveted watching the prince move. He descended the stairs with such grace that he looked almost alien. He was even more handsome in person than in his pictures. She gripped her champagne flute so tightly she was surprised it didn't break as she felt something coil deep in her belly. For the first time in her career, she wondered if she could do this mission, the prince was having an effect on her that no one else had ever had on the normally cool and in command Jocelyn Carter. Not even her dear departed husband Paul had made her feel this way on sight. She even liked that crooked tie, it made him look adorable. She WANTED him.

* * *

A smiling John stepped away from the latest group of royal ass kissers and swiftly ducked behind a row of decorative potted plants to give himself a minute of peace. Fusco shoved a scotch, neat, into his hand as soon as he was hidden from view. John gave him a small salute and sipped his drink.

"Things are going well," Fusco commented idly as he continued to watch the crowd through the plants.

"Could be worse," John sighed. "I did wonder if that heiress was ever going to let go of my hand."

Fusco snorted. "I was afraid that one little blondie was going to throw her back out she was so busy thrusting her boobs in your face."

John shuddered. "Don't remind me."

"Keep it up," Root simpered in his ear. "The news is reporting that they expect to make over two million bucks tonight thanks in part to your presence."

"I'll drink to that," Fusco sipped his own drink. "How much longer before Wonder Boy and I can duck outta here?"

"Oh you have hours yet," Root replied cheerfully.

"Kill me now," Fusco groaned.

John peeped through foliage at the crowd, and that's when he saw HER. Her black lace over red satin ball gown stood out from the crowd, but it was her smile that lit up the room. She threw her head back and laughed at something one of her companions said and it was like the sun breaking through the clouds that had been following him since Jessica had died. He suddenly felt very warm all over and he tugged at his collar.

"Who is that?" he asked.

"The woman in red and black?" Root replied. "One sec…"

John heard typing on his end of the line. "Jocelyn Carter, lawyer specializing in negotiating international business contracts. She's an army veteran, honorably discharged after being wounded by a land mine." John heard the frown on Root's voice. "Everything looks on the up and up, but there's something not quite right…."

John didn't hear her, he was already making a beeline for the angel in red and black.

* * *

Joss looked up to see the Prince approaching her with a devastating smile on his face and she nearly melted into a pile of goo on the floor right there. Instead, she straightened her posture and reached out her hand to take his.

The Prince took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I don't believe we've met. I'm John."

Joss smiled into his eyes. "I think everyone here knows who you are. Jocelyn Carter. Thank you for all your work for veterans."

John inclined his head to acknowledge her thanks. "Are you a veteran too?" he asked even though he knew the answer already thanks to Root, but it was a good ice breaker.

"Did two tours, one in Iran and one in Afghanistan," Joss replied. "I hear you saw some action too."

"I did," John replied.

Joss laughed. "Don't be modest, I know you were Omega Force."

John's smile faded. "Unfortunately the reporters outed me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to remind you of that." Joss's eyes were full of sympathy.

John struggled not to get lost in those large, brown eyes. He swallowed hard. "It's not your fault, I just wasn't ready to leave when I did."

"You wanted to stay with your unit, with your friends, while they were in danger."

John smiled at her again, this time a sad smile. It was rare to find someone who truly understood just how hard it had been for him to return to Montrose, and safety, while his friends remained behind in harm's way. It had just about killed him to get on that plane to come home, and it took another veteran to grasp that. "Yes."

John had not released Joss's hand. He gently rubbed her knuckles with his thumb as they stared into each other's eyes. In a room with hundreds of other people, they existed in their own little bubble.

"John?" Fusco hated to interrupt, but he had a duty to do. "It's time for your speech."

John growled deep in his throat. "Duty calls," he said to Joss. "Wait for me?"

Joss smiled. "I'll be right here."

John kissed her hand once then strode away to the front of the room where a small stage had been set up.

As soon as John left, Shaw sidled up to Joss, handing her a flute of champagne. "Good job, Carter. How'd you reel him in?"

Joss sipped from her glass. "I told the truth."

Shaw laughed. "Interesting gambit. Bet you didn't learn that at Langley."

"I improvised," Joss retorted.

"Whelp, looks like you got this, so I get the rest of the night off. In a target rich environment." Shaw looked around hungrily until she spotted a young woman in her early twenties in a gold dress off to one side. "Do you think telling the truth will work with that little hottie over there?"

Joss glanced over at Shaw's new target. "Nope, you'll scare her. Be gentle."

Shaw nodded. "Got it." Then she began stalking her new prey. Joss shuddered and tried not to look. The poor kid had no idea what she was in for with Shaw.

Joss turned her attention back to the speeches just as John was being introduced. His speech was short, but passionate about the sacrifices of veterans and the need to care for them when they returned from the war. He spoke of the measures that Montrose had taken to care for their veterans and how they were still learning to care for the psychological wounds of war. Joss was impressed by the depth of his dedication.

Once the speeches were over, John returned to Joss as quickly as he could. "Impressive speech." she commented when he reappeared at her side.

"You can thank my Uncle Nathan," he smirked. "He's the one with all charisma in the family. He does most of the speechwriting for the rest of us."

"But the passion was all yours," Joss pointed out. "You felt every word."

John shifted his weight, a bit uncomfortable at her praise. The music picked that minute to start. "Would you like to dance?"

They swept out onto the floor along with several couples. "Don't you normally have a predetermined dance card?" Joss asked.

John shook his head. "I normally don't do much dancing, I leave that to Uncle Nathan." He paused, looking down at her with an intensity that took her breath away. "It's hard to find a compatible partner."

They swirled around the dance floor like they had been in each other's arms forever. As far as Joss was concerned, it was like being in dream. She had danced many times with many different partners, but it was never like this. Not even with Paul. She completely surrendered to the music and the man holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world.

The dream was shattered when she saw Mark Snow standing at the edge of the dance floor sipping champagne and watching them with a predatory smile on his face. Her mouth went dry. He raised his glass to her in a salute. She responded with a tight nod, then he slipped away into the crowd.

"Are you alright?" John asked.

Joss forced herself to relax. "I'm fine, I just saw someone I don't like very much in the crowd."

John turned his head to look at the crowd staring at them. "Let's get out of here. Root have my car meet us out back."

"I don't think that such a good idea…." The security chief simpered.

John interrupted her. "I didn't ask if it was a good idea."

"Yes, sir."

He nodded to Fusco, who headed straight out the back of the room with John and Joss following. They took a scuffed-up freight elevator down to the parking garage. As he pulled the door shut, Fusco gave her a wink, "Bet you thought the life of a royal was all glamour."

Joss giggled and gave him a wink back. "I thought you guys all had gold plated elevators."

"I like her," Fusco said cheerfully.

The elevator descended to the first floor. Fusco began leading them through the maze of laundry rooms, kitchen and offices to the loading dock of the hotel. There was a large black Lincoln limousine waiting for them.

John opened the door and let Joss slide inside. He turned to Fusco, "Take the rest of the night off. I'll see you back at the hotel."

Fusco looked dubious, but he nodded.

John got in the car, Fusco shut the door and the car lumbered out of the loading dock.

* * *

"Drive around for a while," John ordered his driver. "I'll let you know when it's time to drop Ms. Carter off."

"Yes, sir," the driver responded. He was used to doing this for John's Uncle Nathan, the family Lothario, but for Prince John this was new. The driver secretly hoped the Crown Prince was happy, the man certainly deserved it.

John shut the panel between the back seat and the driver. He poured Joss and himself each a glass of champagne from the mini bar.

They began to talk. John told her about the guys in his unit, the ones he had to leave behind when he was outed by over-zealous reporters. He'd never forgiven the reporter who broke the story and to that day had never granted them an interview. He talked about how hard it had been to make the transition back to civilian life, especially a life in the fishbowl of a royal family.

Joss talked about how hard it had been to be a woman of color in the armed forces. She talked about her survivor's guilt after she survived the land mine that killed her marine escort. She talked about her own transition back to civilian life, complicated by nightmares of watching the marine die.

The car hit one of New York's famous potholes just as Joss was trying to take a sip of her drink, causing her to spill a few drops down her chin and onto her chest. John grabbed a few napkins from the mini bar and started wiping the champagne from her face. She brought her hand to his and their eyes locked.

John pulled Joss to him, kissing her tenderly. She returned it and as they kissed, their kisses got more and more needy. John began trailing kisses and little nips down her neck as she moaned. She was in heaven.

He paused with his hand at the top of her dress, silently asking her permission. ""Please John!" she whispered in response. He pulled down the front of her dress exposing her breasts. He took a moment to stare at her, she was perfect. "So beautiful," he murmured as he bent his head to take one dark tight nipple in his mouth.

Joss whimpered and threw back her head as she held his head to her breast. He sucked and nipped at her, taking as much of her breast into his mouth that he could and then slowly letting it slide out between his teeth. Joss cried out in ecstasy, so he repeated it on the other breast. He hands were all over her naked torso now, touching every inch of her beautiful sienna skin. He was vaguely aware she had pushed his jacket off his shoulders and it now crumpled on the floor of the car. His tie was also gone, where he did not know, nor did he care. All his attention was focused on the goddess writhing under him. All he cared about now was pleasuring her.

Joss began undoing his the buttons on his shirt, each button revealing more glorious tan skin. He was lean, but well-muscled like a basketball player, vaguely she recalled from the briefing he had played for a short time on the Montrosian national team and he looked it. Every little bit she saw just made her want more.

His shirt was off and they had skin on skin contact for the first time. John groaned as he rubbed against her, she was every bit as warm and soft as he had suspected she would be. He couldn't keep his hands and mouth off her as he busied himself tasting every inch of her could reach.

"John, help me get this dress off!" he was only too happy to oblige and soon her dress was completely off and tossed in a corner.

He paused to stare at her as she was sprawled across his seat. Her elegant updo was ruined by now of course, her hair in loose waves around her face and shoulders. Her lips were plump and swollen from his kisses, and her nipples were tight buds. Her legs were spread for him, one foot still in its golden high heel on the back of the seat and the other on the floor. He could see her folds glistening in the low light, swollen and ready for him.

His cock was painfully erect. Swiftly he undid his belt buckle and unzipped his pants, freeing his cock. His pants joined the rest of their clothes on the floor, leaving him completely nude kneeling on the seat in between her legs.

Joss opened her eyes and stared at him, taking his lean frame, broad shoulders and narrow hips. His eyes looking at her with such hunger that her breath was taken away. "Please," she begged. "I want you."

John didn't need to be asked twice. He lined himself up at her entrance and slowly entered her. Her eyes opened wide as he gently filled her. No one had ever felt like this, so right. She arched her back and tilted her hips trying to take as much of him into her body as she could.

John buried himself in her. Not even Jessica had felt this good. For the first time in years he completely let go and lost himself. He pulled almost all the way out and slowly buried himself back in her. He lay on top of her wanting to feel as much of her as he could and he buried his face in her neck as he thrust.

Joss could feel the heat coiling in her belly. It had been so long since she had felt anything close to this. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be swept away in the moment. This is what it felt like to have a good man make love to you. She opened her eyes to see John staring down at her like she was the most wondrous thing in the world.

They came together. Joss threw back her head and cried out his name as he collapsed on top of her. He lay with his head on her chest while she stroked his hair as they came down off their highs.

Finally John lifted his head and looked at her. "You're amazing,"

She smiled back. "So are you."

They both meant it.

* * *

By the time they finally pulled up in front of Joss's condo, the sun was starting to rise. John escorted Joss to the door and kissed her deeply one last time. "Have dinner with me tonight," his asked as he touched his forehead to hers. "Be at my penthouse at 7."

Joss nodded. She unlocked the door. John let his fingers lightly trail down her naked back as she stepped through the entrance. She smiled at him over her shoulder as she reluctantly shut the door.

She watched through the peep hole as John gracefully descended the steps and got back in the car.

"You look like you've been rode hard and put away wet as they used to say."

Joss spun to see Mark Snow leaning against the doorway to her kitchen. "What are you doing here?" she snapped.

"Just making sure Cinderella got home. But you missed the stroke of midnight by a wide margin." He strode forward and seized her chin in his hand forcing her face up and to the side. "Looks like you had a good time," as he saw the line of love bites.

Joss jerked her head out of his hand. "My assignment was to get close to him."

"Is he a good fuck?"

"Jealous? Maye you should go fuck Zoe," Joss retorted.

Mark smirked at her. "Already did. Are you seeing him again?"

"Dinner tonight."

"And probably more fucking," Mark replied.

Joss snorted. "I guess that means Zoe gets lucky tonight."

"Maybe Sameen, too," Mark replied. He pulled Joss to his body and kissed her hungrily. He roughly jerked down her top exposing her breasts. "Did you leave any for me?"

Joss pushed him away. "No, and I need my beauty rest before tonight."

Mark grinned a wolfish grin. "OK, but once this mission is over I expect to reclaim my spot in your bed." He pinched her exposed nipple and then opened the door. "Don't forget you have a job to do." Then he left.

Joss leaned against the door and sank to the ground. She buried her face in her hands and just sat there for a good long while.

* * *

 _ **There are 4 chapters total. I'll be posting once week. As per my usual procedure the story is written, but I have some work to do on one of the later chapters.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**WOW, I am stunned by the love shown the first chapter of this story. I admit I was bit nervous about the AU and taking on the "Royal romance" trope, but once again the Careese community comes through.**

 **In this chapter you get to see John being his BAMF self, and we get glimpse of the some of the angst Joss when through after she was discharged that caused her to sign up for the CIA.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Joss arrived at the royal penthouse in an exclusive building across form Central Park right on time. She was dressed in a soft butter yellow wrap dress with elbow length sleeves and a skirt swirled around her knees. John had never liked yellow, until now. He decided yellow was his new favorite color. Last night it had been red and black. Basically, whatever color this alluring woman wore was his favorite.

John was dressed casually in a light blue button-down shirt that made his blue eyes even bluer, if that was possible, and black slacks. Joss gazed into his eyes and decided that blue was her favorite color.

She stood on her toes and kissed him. "How was your day? I saw on the news you toured the 7th Street Soup Kitchen and the Veteran's Legal Aid office."

John placed a hand on the small of her back and held her close so he could kiss her back. "Smashing. Both will get a considerable amount of money from the ball last night."

"All because you were there!" Joss said. "That must feel good."

John sighed. "It does. But I'd prefer being out in the field with my unit."

Joss smiled. "Man of action."

"I've always been one," John shrugged.

He turned and led her out onto the suite's private patio which had a sweeping view of Central Park. Joss could see a table that had been set with fine china, crystal, and silverware with a lovely centerpiece of roses and candles. It was the most romantic table setting Joss had ever seen. "John this is lovely!"

"Being a Prince has its perks," he replied as he pulled the chair out for her. A waiter who was so discreet that Joss had not previously noticed him promptly served an appetizer plate with several varieties of canapes and poured champagne. Joss took a bite, "Oh, John, this is sooo good!"

Dinner was excellent. The canapes were followed up by perfectly cooked salmon with asparagus and for dessert, there was cheesecake in a divine raspberry sauce. Champagne flowed freely and so did the conversation.

Then John asked the question Joss knew was coming, but had been dreading. "What happened to your husband?"

Joss snorted. "You mean that your security chief hasn't briefed you already?"

John smirked at her, but he didn't deny it. "I want to hear it from you."

Joss sighed. "Fair enough. Paul was a Ranger in Afghanistan. His unit did a lot of work with the locals hunting out insurgents. The Army was pretty vague from there, but I gather they were ambushed on the wrong side of some arbitrary line."

John cocked his head to one side. "They crossed the border?"

"I believe so." She raised her head and looked him straight in the eye. "But if they did, it was because they had orders, then they were hung out to dry." She looked back down. "I didn't even get a body to bury. It was too dangerous to retrieve him. "

"I'm sorry, Joss," John laid a hand over hers.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "The worst part was that I never got a chance to tell Paul I was pregnant. But then I lost little Taylor when the cord wrapped around his neck during delivery. Even an emergency C section couldn't save him." She wiped a tear away.

"I know loss," John said quietly.

Joss nodded. "I heard about your wife. You don't have to tell me the story."

"Despite everything, I still miss her." He looked away, blinking back tears. "I know I shouldn't, she was unfaithful, but I loved her. My family told me not to marry her, that she wasn't ready to be a princess or a military wife." He smiled a sad smile. "They were right, but I didn't figure it out until it was too late."

"What did you love about her?" Joss asked.

"Her laugh. God I loved her laugh. She was a nurse, she was very warm and nurturing. She would have been a great mom."

Joss squeezed his hand "I saw pictures of her, she was beautiful."

John smiled at her through sad eyes. Joss had never seen such soulful eyes. "Thank you. Most people don't understand how I could miss her after what happened."

"I'm guessing you haven't been allowed to mourn her," Joss replied.

"I'm not supposed to talk about her. My family means well, I don't think they realized how much I was hurting."

"I do understand. After Taylor was stillborn, everyone tiptoed around me. No one would talk about it, afraid they would cause me pain, but it hurt more not to talk about it."

"You're not alone, Joss."

"Neither are you."

They grinned at each other. Even though they both had unresolved grief, each felt some comfort in finally finding someone who understood their pain and didn't try to minimize it because they felt uncomfortable.

By the time dinner was over Joss was feeling a bit of a buzz and she had a feeling John did too. She saw that the tips of his ears were a bit red. She thought it was adorable.

They wound up on the sofa making out like teenagers. Then John got up, took a step towards the bedroom then held out a hand to Joss. With a smile she took it, and they walked into the bedroom together.

* * *

The morning dawned bright and sunny. As Joss slowly came back to consciousness, she realized she was up against a very warm and very naked John. She nearly purred with happiness and she snuggled closer to him. _I could get used to this,_ she thought.

Then a strange man entered the room and began opening curtains. Joss's eyes opened wide and she hastily made sure she was covered up. In a near panic she realized she had left her gun in her purse in the front room.

John stirred. "Good morning, Riley."

Joss sank down under covers.

"Good morning, sir," Riley replied. "Will the lady be staying for breakfast?"

"Yes, have it delivered in half an hour please."

"Yes, sir." Riley exited the room.

John lifted the blankets and looked down at Joss with a smirk. "You can come out now."

"Who was that?" she hissed.

"That was Riley, my valet. Don't worry, he's very discreet."

"You could have warned a girl," Joss grumbled as she poked her head out.

John shrugged. "Sorry, I didn't think of it. This is my life when I'm on official business." Then he smiled. "We have half an hour before breakfast gets here, that's just enough time for a shower, and I need someone to scrub my back."

Joss giggled as she allowed John to pull her into the bathroom.

Half an hour later they were scrubbed and sitting down to a breakfast of French toast and fruit when Fusco entered. "Morning you two."

Joss arched an eyebrow at John. "Are you ever alone?"

"Not when I'm on official business. I have one more day of appearances then I have the weekend off."

Fusco handed John a piece of paper. "Here's your schedule, we're on the go all day, then you drive up to the cabin tomorrow."

"Cabin? You have a cabin?" Joss was surprised.

"My family owns some property up in the mountains as vacation spot. It's not common knowledge for security purposes. My Uncle Nathan uses it mostly since he's in the US on IFT business a lot," John explained.

Fusco chuckled. "Don't let the word 'cabin' fool you, Joss. There's nothing rustic about it. It's a high-end vacation home."

"Whatever it is, I'll be spending the weekend there before returning to Montrose," John cut in. He looked at Joss with pleading eyes. "I'd like it if you could join me."

Joss smiled. "I didn't have anything scheduled for the weekend. I'd love to come."

* * *

John picked Joss up the next morning in a Mercedes SUV. Joss looked around as she climbed into the car. "No Riley? No Fusco?"

John threw the vehicle into gear and smoothly pulled out into traffic. "Nope, gave them the weekend off. Fusco is visiting relatives in Brooklyn and Riley is playing tourist."

Joss giggled. "I'm surprised Fusco let you out of his sight for three whole days."

John smirked over at her. "There's already security detail staying at the property, or he wouldn't have. Don't worry, they've been instructed to stay out of our way unless there's a threat. Have you had breakfast yet?"

Joss shook her head. "Nope, and I could really use a cup of coffee."

John pulled up to a doughnut shop and parked. "Don't tell anyone but I have a weakness for doughnuts."

Joss laughed. "Your secret is safe with me, but it'll cost you a maple bar."

"Done."

John escorted her inside. They purchased their doughnuts and coffee then sat down at a little table by the window to eat. They had barely started when John suddenly bolted from the shop.

A movement in the parking lot caught Joss's eye and she turned to see a large man standing over a woman cowering on the ground holding her face, like the man had just hit her. John was baring down on the couple like the God of Revenge.

 _Shit._ Joss ran after him.

Prince John was not a small man, he was 6'2", but built lean. The man was around the same height but much more muscular. As soon as he saw John coming the brute whipped out a knife and took a defensive stance. "You wanna be a hero?" he snarled.

John didn't say word. He simply began circling the bully, his eyes intense and fixed on his opponent. The former commando's mouth was set in a grim line. His movements were so graceful and so predatory that Joss was momentary mesmerized.

The man lunged forward, slashing at the prince with the knife. John gracefully sidestepped, then grabbed his opponent's wrist, twisting it painfully. The man yelped in pain, dropping the knife. He tried to punch John with his other hand, but the former Omega commando blocked the blow, kicking the man in the knee. The brute went down hard.

John released his wrist and stepped back to see what the man would do. With a cry of rage, the man once again flung himself at the prince. John used the heel of his hand to smash the man's nose; Joss heard the crunch of the bones breaking from several feet away. A final punch to the man's temple ended the fight for good. It was over in seconds and the former Omega Unit commander hadn't even broken a sweat.

Joss was already on the ground next to the woman examining her face. She would have an ugly bruise for a few weeks, but no bones seemed to be broken. Joss did note several other bruises on her arms in various stages of healing, this was not the first time this woman had been hit.

"Would you like to go to the hospital?' Joss asked kindly.

The woman shook her head. "I just want to go to the bus station. I was trying to go home to Oklahoma, but Bobby wouldn't let me go."

Bobby stirred on the ground but a swift kick from John kept him from getting up.

Joss helped the woman to her feet. The woman, who introduced herself as Lisa, retrieved her suitcase from Bobby's battered Chevy and John placed it in the Mercedes next to his and Joss's suitcases. They went back inside to collect their food and now tepid coffee. John bought Lisa a doughnut and coffee and insisted on driving her to the bus station. He purchased her bus ticket to Oklahoma and gave her a couple of hundred out of his wallet.

Afraid that Bobby might show up again – though Joss kinda doubted it given the very thorough beat-down John had put on him -they waited with her until her bus boarded. Several patrons stared at the prince like they recognized him, but no one approached them. Joss guessed they couldn't believe the Crown Prince of Montrose would hang out at a bus station.

As her bus was announced, Lisa threw her arms around John, crying. "Thank you so much! You're my hero!"

A startled John could only hug her back. "You're free now."

Lisa nodded happily and scurried over the double doors leading to the loading area. She turned and gave them one last wave, then vanished through the doors to her new life.

"That was a wonderful thing you just did, John," Joss said, kissing him on the cheek. "You're my hero too."

"I don't like it when people mess with women, kids or veterans," John growled. Then he led Joss back to the SUV so they could resume their trip.

The cabin was about two hours outside of the city limits up in the mountains. It was rather difficult to find if you didn't know it was there. The road was unmarked and a very solid looking iron gate blocked the driveway. A man in jeans and dark sunglasses was waiting in a gate house to let them in. John nodded to him as they drove past. "If everything goes according to plan, that should be the last person we see until we leave," John commented. "Most of the property is covered by security cameras and motion sensors." He pointed to a small house though the trees. "The security men are in there monitoring everything."

The road wound through the trees until they pulled up in front of a mini-mansion made of rough looking logs to mimic a log cabin. Fusco had been right, judging from the size, it was a high-end home.

They carried their bags inside and placed them in one of the bedroom suites. Then John showed her around the place.

"We call this the game room," John led her into a large room with a pool table, a bar, and several couches and chairs scattered around. "This is where we spend most of our evenings before and after dinner when the family is here."

Joss was drawn to a wall of photos, all of which looked to have been taken at the cabin. Various royal family members were shown in activities like boating, fishing, and sunbathing. Joss couldn't help but smile, the royals were just like any other family when they were out of the public eye. King Harold, who always seemed so formal in public appearances, seemed particularly pleased in photo of him holding up an enormous trout. It was all rather endearing.

Then Joss came to a photo of William, the murdered Crown Prince. John saw her looking at the photo of a smiling Will with his arm around his father, Prince Nathan, as the two proudly displayed a string of freshly caught fish.

"I remember that day," John said from behind her. "We ate fish a week afterwards. Uncle Nathan insisted we couldn't waste any of them."

This was the opening Joss had been waiting for to start the conversation about John's feelings towards the War on Terror. _Please say the right things_ , she begged him internally as she began. "William died in ferry bombing, didn't he?"

"Yes, the same one that injured Uncle Harold. They were crossing the channel to France on a diplomatic trip when a car full explosives went off."

"I'm surprised the royal family would use a common ferry," Joss commented.

John shrugged. "Uncle Harold liked popping up in odd places to surprise his subjects. He liked shaking hands and talking with them one on one. He randomly stopped at grocery stores, street festivals, any place people gather."

"I noticed you used past tense."

John nodded, his eyes on the photo. "Since the bombing, he's in pain a lot of the time. He has to keep his public appearances down."

"No wonder he's such an ardent supporter of the war on terrorism," Joss commented.

"He is. He and Nathan have been working on a computer algorithm that predicts terrorist activity, but it's slow going thanks to his injuries and his official duties. Aunt Grace, Uncle Nathan, and I have tried to take as much of the burden off him as we can, but there are some things we simply can't do."

 _Here comes the big question_. "Do you intend to carry on the war on terrorism when you come to the throne?"

"Of course," John replied instantly and Joss quietly breathed a sigh of relief. "It needs to be done, but we need some new ways to fight it. Sending troops into the battle with a hidden enemy on their own turf isn't getting the needed results. We need better techniques and I think Harold and Nathan's work will be the key. My issues are not with the fight, but how we're currently conducting it."

Joss felt herself relax. John was going to remain an ally.

They toured the rest of the cabin. A kitchen packed with high end appliances was the last room on the tour.

"Are you hungry?" John asked.

"Yeah, it's been a few hours since breakfast," Joss replied.

John seated her at the counter and he went about making fish and chips from scratch.

"You cook?' Joss was surprised. She thought he'd lived in a palace with servants his whole life.

John smirked at her as he filled the deep fryer and dumped in the fries. "My mom loved cooking. When my dad was alive, we didn't stay in one of the palaces very often, my parents preferred to raise me in one of the country houses, out of the public eye. We didn't have a lot of servants. Most nights Mom would cook. I learned from her by helping out in the kitchen. It still reminds me of her."

"She taught you well," Joss commented as she watched him slice up the fish.

He dredged the fish in batter. "When I was military, I wanted to fit in, so I lived in base housing most of the time. I had to fend for myself, so I cooked. I wasn't the heir at the time; I just wanted to serve my country, like my dad had." The fish went into the fryer.

"After Jess and I married, we lived a pretty normal military family life for the first few years. We didn't have any servants aside from a maid." John chuckled softy. "Jess hated house cleaning."

"Sounds like you had a pretty normal life for a prince. Your dad was a search and rescue pilot, wasn't he?"

John nodded then removed the fish from the fryer. He plated the fish and chips and pushed a plate over to her. "Member of His Majesty's Coast Guard. He loved it. Then one day he didn't come home."

"I'm sorry," Joss said sincerely.

"Thank you. He was good dad and a hero."

"Like his son."

John rolled his eyes. "Don't start."

But Joss persisted. "It's more than what you did today, I read how you saved your unit in Afghanistan. You deserved that medal!"

John merely looked embarrassed. "I did what any soldier would do in the same circumstances. Nothing more."

"You're too modest."

John didn't say anything and Joss decided to drop the subject. But she had gotten some valuable insights into the man next to her.

* * *

The afternoon was spent at the outdoor shooting range. The two former military bonded further over their love for shooting. Joss let out a very girlie squeal when John produced a Barrett M107 sniper rifle. "Oh my god, I haven't seen one of those since the service!"

With a smile, John handed it over and they took turns shooting at a target on the other side of the private lake.

"Nice shooting, Ranger," John commented when Joss pulled off a difficult shot.

Joss laughed. "You're not so bad yourself."

That began a shooting competition that was finally called a draw so they could fix dinner.

Dinner was followed by watching a movie, eating ice cream, and making love on the rug in the front of the huge fireplace in the front room.

Joss didn't think about her assignment once.

* * *

The next morning Joss woke first. She was spooned by John, who had one arm and one leg flung over her like he was protecting her. Joss gently disengaged herself from his arms without waking him. She donned one the fluffy white robes with the royal family crest embroidered on the chest and crept down the kitchen to make coffee.

Joss took her coffee out onto the deck overlooking the lake and sipped it quietly, taking time to collect her thoughts. It occurred to her that she had not thought about her assignment once after the conversation in the game room. That was unusual for her, she was a professional through and through. She had dated and then eliminated numerous men before without compromising her mission before, but this one was different.

She had fallen in love with John.

 _Shit._

She blinked back tears. Jocelyn Carter, one of the first female Rangers, and current CIA agent did **not** cry. But Joss knew there was no future for herself with the Prince. She could not be with him once this assignment was over, no matter how much she loved him.

But she could fight to save him. He was good man, a good man the world could not afford to lose. She would do everything in her power to make sure the world did not lose him. Even if she had to betray the CIA to do it.

The object of her affections wandered out onto the deck just then carrying his own cup of coffee. He kissed her gently. "Good morning."

Joss looked up at him, her eyes shining. "Good morning."

"How would you like to take a hike around the lake today?"

The rest of the weekend passed peacefully. John and Joss enjoyed each other's company in the lovely bucolic setting. They hiked, they fished, and they swam. They watched glorious sunsets over the lake. They cooked. They swapped war stories. They made love.

Joss didn't think once about the CIA for the rest of the weekend. She decided that she would live in the moment with John, and worry about the agency when she got back. The best she could hope for would be for John to remember her fondly when this was all over, and she did everything she could to make that happen.

* * *

John pulled up to the curb outside Joss's condo. "Do you want to come in?" Joss asked.

John shook his head. "If I don't get back to the penthouse soon, Fusco will send out the hounds."

He carried Joss's suitcase to her door and then kissed her tenderly. "Would you like to come visit me in Montrose? Soon?"

Joss felt a thrill go through her body. "I would like that very much."

"I'll call you in a few days," John murmured, then with another gentle kiss he was gone.

Joss was humming as she unlocked her door and stepped inside. It had been a long time since she had been in love, since she had felt anything in the way of happiness. It was like a veil was lifted from her face. She felt alive for the first time in years, not like she was just waiting to die.

"You sound happy. He must have fucked you good," Mark Snow said.

Joss growled in frustration. Not now! She should have known he would be waiting for her.

Snow had made himself comfortable. He had removed his suit coat, tie and shoes. The top buttons on his shirt were undone and his feet were up on her coffee table. He had opened a bottle of wine and two glasses were sitting on the coffee table, one half full.

She plastered a smile on her face. "He's incredible," she said coyly, knowing it would piss Mark off.

Mark lifted a lip in a sneer and Joss knew she had scored hit. She regretted it immediately as he patted the spot next to him on the sofa. "Come here," he purred.

Steeling herself for what was to come, she walked over to the couch and sat down. Mark pulled her into an embrace and began kissing her. Joss forced herself to relax into him, knowing she had to play along or she and John were dead. _Forgive me, John._

"You're not a princess Joss," Mark growled. "You're the Dark. A killer. You do the difficult things that need to be done. What do you think Prince Charming would say about that?"

"Does it matter?" Joss whispered back.

"No." Mark unbuttoned her blouse and lifted one of her beasts from the lacey bra cup. "Gods you're beautiful." He sucked her nipple into his mouth and bit down enough to cause a tiny bit of pain.

Joss arched her back and pretended to enjoy it. She was ashamed now to admit there had been time when she **had** enjoyed Mark's attentions, it had been the only way to feel like she was still alive.

"Do you remember when you killed Khalid bin Faisal?" Mark whispered in her ear as he pinched her nipple.

"Yes." Of course she did, she remembered every kill. Bin Faisal had been funding terrorism for years, all the while pretending to be a friend to the US. Joss had fucked him senseless for an hour then garroted him to death when he was helpless in a post-coital haze fueled by alcohol and drugs.

Mark's hand reached under her skirt and ripped her lacy thong off. His fingers entered her while his thumb massaged her clit. "Remember how it felt to take his life, how it felt to watch the light in his eyes die? The power of it?"

Joss nodded. It had been a good kill. He was responsible for hundreds of deaths of people from all around the world.

"I walked into that room after you killed him and you were standing over him, completely nude. Your hair was wild and you were panting. You were the Dark and you were magnificent!"

Joss remembered it well. Mark had helped her to gather her things from the suite and escorted her down two floors to their room. Cole, their assigned hacker, had removed all trace of her visit to bin Faisal's suite from the hotel security systems, so all they had to do was wait for a few days until the investigation was over at the hotel. They had spent most of that time in bed, blowing off stress.

Mark's pants were off and he thrust into her brutally. Joss groaned, but Mark took it as pleasure. He thrust into her over and over. "Never forget who you are. You're a killer, not a princess. You're mine. We…are…the…Dark."

Mark emptied himself into her, while Joss faked an orgasm. It wasn't hard, she'd done it before. Many times.

They got dressed in silence. Mark knocked back the rest of his wine. "Debriefing tomorrow at 9 am. See you around, _princess_ ," he sneered and then left without a backwards glance.

Joss grabbed the remaining wine glass and took a gulp, but what she knew to be an excellent vintage tasted like sawdust in her mouth. Joss laid her head back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. She briefly contemplated burning the couch. Instead she opted for a long shower with lots of hot water and soap.

Once in the shower she rested her head against the wall as she struggled with her emotions. A tear made its way down her cheek as she wondered how the hell she was going to keep playing this game long enough to keep John alive. Mark wasn't stupid, and he was jealous, if she made the tiniest wrong move, he would report back to their CIA superiors that John was a liability. She had to convince him that not only was she not interested in John as anything other than a target, but that he was an asset to the US.

Joss hadn't prayed for many years. She had been raised in the church, but after losing her husband and her son she had turned away. Now she prayed with all her heart, a heart she had thought was long dead, that she would be able to save the man she loved.

* * *

Joss fidgeted in her seat as she waited for what might the most important debriefing of her career. She heard footsteps outside the conference room. "Here we go Joss["], she thought to herself. And assumed the cool persona that had served her so well in her career so far.

She was relieved to see that it was Henry Peck who walked into the room, alone. No Mark Snow.

"Good morning, Peck," she said.

Peck seated himself across from her. "Good morning, Carter. I hear you had a busy weekend."

"It was productive," Joss replied.

Peck touched the video camera on the table and Joss could see the red light come on. Then he picked up a pen, ready to take notes. "Tell me about it."

Joss did, emphasizing that John was on board with the war on terror and still an ally of the US. Peck was one of the harder analysts to read, but Joss got the feeling he agreed with her. He asked several questions, diving into the details, he seemed to be aligned with the idea that John was a strong ally.

"Thank you Carter. This information is in line with other information we have on the Prince," Peck said as he finally put down his pen and turned off the camera. "I understand you will be spending more time with him in Montrose next week?"

"Yes, I've been invited to visit him. I should have more intel for you when I get back."

"I'll see you then." Peck left the room and Joss breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good.

* * *

John had been back in Montrose for about a week. Like most mornings, he was in his office working through his correspondence with his private secretary Danielle, when Monica Jacobs, his Uncle Harold's right hand woman, appeared in the doorway. "The King wishes to see you in his private office right away."

John lifted an eyebrow at the unusual summons. "Any idea what this is about?"

Monica shook her head. "I assume it's security related, Root is already there, and Fusco's been called in too."

John got up from his desk. "Go ahead and get those letters ready, Dani, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Of course, Your Highness," Dani replied.

John followed Monica through the palace to King Harold's private office. Harold had two offices, a larger "show piece" office where he could conduct official state business like meetings with foreign dignitaries and with the Prime Minister, and a smaller private office crammed with computers where he did his work with Artificial Intelligence and conducted more personal business. It was the second office where the King awaited John.

Root was there already, smirking away at him in her annoying way. John ignored her. Lionel was also there already, looking grim, as was his uncle. That was a bad sign. John took his seat. "What's up?"

"Remember how I thought there was something off about Jocelyn Carter's background check?" Root began. John nodded stiffly, he had a feeling he didn't want to hear what was coming.

"I did some digging, and more digging, and I finally found it. She's CIA."

John blinked, he was not expecting that. "Are you sure?"

"Yup. She's a member of an elite group of assassins called the Dates with Death." Root touched the keyboard in front of her and the large monitor hanging on the wall sprang to life. There was a picture of Joss, along with two other women who John vaguely remembered were also at the Veteran's Benefit, as well as a bald, middle aged man.

"The other two women are Sameen Shaw and Zoe Morgan. Mark Snow is their handler. They try to attract their marks using feminine wiles. There are three lovelies to choose from and all they have to do is wait for one of them to attract the target. Once the target picks one of them, and apparently they usually do, they're doomed. They have a rather impressive kill rate, including the head of the Serbian Secret Service and the international terrorist Khalid bin Faisal." She paused. "They did the world a favor there."

John stared at the screen so intently, Lionel was afraid it was going to explode in flames. Not Joss. No, she couldn't be faking it, it was too real. He was a member of one of the most ancient royal houses of Europe, he'd been around people who were faking it his entire life. Joss was NOT faking it. But what was going on here?

"This doesn't make sense." he said finally. "We're allies of the US, why send the CIA after us?"

Harold spoke for the first time. "That's the part we can't figure out. Even our intelligence network has no indication as to why you're being targeted."

John glared at the screen for a few minutes, then made his decision. "I'm going to keep seeing her."

"Did you miss the part about 'trained assassin'?" Fusco was aghast. "She's going to kill you!"

John shook his head. "No, she won't. If she wanted me dead she's already had plenty of chances."

Harold leaned back in his chair. "A valid point. I understand you spent an entire weekend alone with her in the mountain cabin?"

John nodded. "As you can see, I'm fine. She could have killed me and escaped and no one would have known for hours, possibly even days."

"That is puzzling," Harold admitted.

"How romantic…and stupid," Root commented. "She's a killer, John. She's been lying to you."

"She's not faking her feelings," John shot back. "I would know."

"No, she just conveniently forgot to mention she's a CIA assassin," Fusco sniped.

"Well to be fair I never asked her," John replied flippantly.

Fusco rubbed his hand over his face. "Then I suggest you ask, _pronto_."

"I'll get around to it," John smirked. He turned to Root. "Keep digging. I am curious to why the CIA sent her."

Root beamed. "Of course."

"Ms. Groves, Mr. Fusco, I would like to speak with my nephew alone," Harold said. "Mention this to no one."

Root and Fusco got up and left, leaving John and Harold alone.

"I'm worried about you," King Harold was serious. "You're normally such a good judge of character, but I fear you may be allowing your emotions to cloud your judgment."

"Like I did with Jessica?" John challenged his uncle.

Harold shook his head. "No, John, I would never throw Jessica in your face." John looked down, embarrassed he had snapped at his uncle. Harold continued on. "It's obvious that you have feelings for this woman, and, as much as I would like for you to find love again, I find this news disturbing. How can I bring her into this palace knowing she's a killer?"

John shook his head, "She won't hurt me. I know it."

Harold stared at his nephew. "Are you sure, John?"

John looked the King straight in the eye. "I'm willing to bet my life on it. I need for you to trust me on this."

Harold thought for a moment. He did trust John's judgment, and John had not let him down since his youthful mistake of marrying a woman who was not suited to military life. That had been many years ago, and his nephew had matured considerably since then. "Alright, we'll do this your way. Jocelyn Carter will be welcomed, but she will be watched and at the first hint she may be dangerous, she will be arrested and interrogated. We will keep her status as known CIA agent between the four of us.

"John, I am counting you. I am placing the safety of everyone in this palace in your hands."

"I understand Harold. If Joss is coming here to kill anyone, I'll kill her myself." He paused. "But she isn't."

* * *

 **Typical John, leading with his heart rather than his head.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Special shout out to the Guest reviewers since I can't reply to them directly.**

 **I should also mention that I make no money from this, I do this for fun, not profit. If you recognize it from the show I don't own it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Joss's plane touched down at Chadbourn International on the outskirts of the capital city of Montrose a week and a half later. She idly watched out her window at the activity at the busy airport, dubbed "The Crossroads of the World" for good reason. Montrose was strategically located so that it made a convenient stopover between the Americas and the rest of Europe. It was also a business powerhouse in its own right, thanks to IFT, the technology company founded by King Harold with his brother Nathan before he had come to the throne.

"Ms. Carter?"

Joss pulled her attention away from the window to the stewardess. "Yes?" John had arranged for her to fly first class on a commercial flight.

"The captain received a message for you. You'll be met by a Mr. Fusco as soon as you clear customs."

The jumbo jet taxied to the gate where Joss was one of the first to disembark. She walked down the long terminal to the customs area, where a bored looking agent quickly cleared her. She exited the customs area to find Fusco and a couple of other security men waiting for her. Fusco took her carry-on bag and led her down to the baggage claim to collect her other bags.

Fusco eyed the pile of luggage once they had been retrieved. "You pack like a royal. All that for week?"

Joss shrugged. "John told me to be prepared for a variety of activities and events."

Fusco and the security men carried her suitcases to the limo waiting at the curb for them. There were double takes from other passengers as a few of them recognized the royal crest on the license plate. The bags were loaded and Joss and Fusco climbed in. The rest of the security men followed in a black SUV.

Joss stared out the window at the landscape as the car made its way through the city to the palace located on the other side of the metropolis. She's never had the chance to visit the city before, and she wanted to take it all in.

'You're glowing."

Joss looked at Fusco in surprise. "What?"

'You're glowing," the pudgy bodyguard repeated. "You must be happy to see the Wonder Boy again."

Joss blushed. "I am." She cocked her head to one side. "You seem…surprised."

"Just glad to see it," he grunted and looked out the window, effectively ending the conversation.

Joss stared at him for a second then returned to watching the city out her window.

The limo pulled up to a discreet side entrance to find John waiting for her. "This is the entrance John uses the most. It's right next to his quarters," Fusco explained. While servants unloaded her luggage, John led her to his apartment only a few steps away.

John's apartment consisted of the majority of one wing of the massive palace. It included several bedrooms, John's enormous master bedroom suite, numerous bathrooms, a private kitchen just for John's use and a separate staff kitchen, John's office, private sitting room, public reception room, dining room and on the top floor, rooms for his valet, footman and maid. Joss was installed in one of the guest rooms, though John's wink told her she would probably be sleeping in his room, which was right next door.

* * *

That night Joss carefully dressed for dinner. Tonight she was meeting the rest of the Royal Family. King Harold, Queen Grace and Prince Nathan would all be there. She wasn't sure why she was nervous, this was an assignment after all. But deep down inside she knew why and her inner voice, which had been dormant these last few years, was not about to let her off the hook.

 _This isn't just an assignment you know_.

Yes, it is.

 _Oh Honey, keep telling yourself that. You're meeting your future in-laws._

I can't have a real relationship with John. Assassins don't get the Prince.

 _You want that Prince._

Yes, I do. But I can't have him.

The voice went silent, it didn't know what to say to that.

Joss stepped out of the guest room to see John waiting for her. He was dressed in a navy blue suit that made his eyes look deep blue, white shirt, and tie striped with the red, black and gold colors of the Omega Unit. She had to wonder how she was going to get through dinner without throwing him on the table and taking his clothes off with her teeth.

John had requested that Joss wear red, and she had obliged him. She wore a dress with a lace fitted bodice, bateau neckline and three quarter lace sleeves. The skirt was slightly gathered at her right hip and ended just above her knee. It showcased her figure, yet was modest enough to meet European royalty. John seriously considered sending his regrets on dinner and keeping her in his apartment so he could ravish her, but knowing his uncle was already unhappy about this visit, he decided they had to go. King Harold wanted to evaluate Joss for himself. He offered Joss his arm and they left his apartment to make the trek through the palace to the King's residence in another wing.

The palace was fairly quiet that evening since there were no official events. Most to of the staff had either gone home, or, for those who lived on site, retired to their quarters. But the servants who were still around stopped and stared at the handsome couple as they swept through the corridors to the King's quarters. Joss, aware she was on display, carried herself like a queen, determined to be worthy of the Prince next to her. She knew this could not be forever, but while she was there she was going to make John look good, dammit.

John did pick out several of Root's security goons lurking discreetly about, keeping eyes on Joss. He also knew Root was watching on the closed circuit security system, just waiting for Joss to make one misstep. He glanced down at the woman on his arm and she beamed back up at him. He smiled back. This was real, he _knew_ it.

John led her to a massive doorway that could only mean one thing, they had arrived at the King's apartment. John nodded to a footman standing by the doorway.

"Good evening, your Highness," the footman replied as he opened and held the door for them. "The King, Queen and Prince Nathan are waiting for you and the lady in the family salon."

"Thank you, Joseph. How's your shoulder today?"

The footman smiled. "I'm doing much better since the surgery. Thank you for everything."

"It was my pleasure. Take care." The door closed behind them.

"What did he mean by 'Thank you for everything'?" Joss asked John as he led her up a set of stairs to the private area of the King's residence.

"Joseph is another Omega Unit vet, wounded in Iraq. His shoulder never really healed properly, so I sent him to a specialist in Switzerland."

"You paid for his surgery?"

"I take care of my men," John said. He stopped outside another door. "Here we are. Ready?"

Joss grinned. "Bring it."

With a chuckle John opened the door and escorted Joss inside. She found herself in a well-appointed but comfortable and cozy sitting room. Artwork that she recognized as being painted by the Queen decorated the walls, and there was a well-stocked bar in the corner. Couches and arm chairs were arranged in a couple of different conversation areas through the room. She realized that she was in a part of the palace that only close friends and relatives of the monarch got to see.

Queen Grace, wearing a turquoise cocktail dress that set off her red hair and creamy complexion perfectly hurried over to greet them. "John! Thank you for coming and bringing this lovely woman to meet us!" She handed John a scotch on the rocks and affectionately kissed his cheek. Then she turned to Joss and held out her hand. "Queen Grace, but call me Grace and do not curtsy while in the family rooms, that's only for formal occasions."

Jocelyn decided she liked this warm woman. "And to think I practiced my curtsy all day! Jocelyn Carter, I'm so happy to meet you."

The King got up from his chair and limped over them. "As Grace has already said, no formalities in the family apartments. Please call me Harold."

"Thank you, Harold," Joss smiled warmly.

A beautiful Belgian Malinois sniffed her curiously. "This is Bear," John said scratching the dog's ears. "He was in my unit Afghanistan and came home with me."

"And I'm Nathan," Uncle Nathan bowed low over her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Always a pleasure to meet such a pretty woman." Behind him Joss saw John, Grace and Harold all roll their eyes. Then Nathan gave her wink to let her know that he knew exactly what was going on behind his back.

Joss laughed. "I see your reputation is well earned."

"Ohhh, Nathan she's on to you!" Grace laughed.

Nathan put his hand over his heart. "Alas, I'm wounded," he said with mock sadness.

The rest of the evening passed in a similar fashion. The royal family were down to Earth and intelligent, so the conversation was lively and flowed easily. Grace proudly showed off some of her artwork. Nathan and Harold had a mini-debate on the merits of security vs privacy. John discussed his work with the Veteran's Bureau of Montrose with the rest of the family.

There was one point in the evening where Harold asked Joss about a proposed international treaty and how it would affect trade between the US and China. Joss felt like he was testing her somehow, like he didn't believe her cover story that she was a lawyer specializing in international law. But since she actually had been a lawyer specializing in international law before the CIA recruited her, she conversed with him on the topic easily. She got the feeling she had passed the test.

Joss felt at home with these people. With an ache in her heart she reminded herself that the she could never be one of them; that her life choices had made that impossible. It didn't stop her from wishing though.

* * *

Mark Snow sat in the outer office of Control, the head of the US intelligence service, fidgeting like a first grader who had been sent to the principal's office. She was one of the few people who made him nervous. She was powerful and wielded that power with the ruthlessness of someone who answered to no one.

"She'll see you now," The receptionist finally waved him into the inner office after an hour long wait. He was pretty sure Control did it just to keep her visitors off guard. He took a deep breath to steady himself and entered the inner office.

Control was not a remarkable looking woman. If you saw her walking down the street you would think she was a typical soccer mom. You would have no idea that she was one of the most powerful people on the planet. You would have no idea that she commanded a vast network of ruthless spies and cutting edge technology. You would have no idea that she had a body count that rivaled Al Qaeda's.

She looked up as Snow entered the room. "Snow. What do you have for me?"

Mark sat in the chair across the desk. "As you know, my agent Jocelyn Carter, has been dating the Crown Prince of Montrose, as per your orders."

Control nodded. "I've been briefed on your operation. Go on."

"She has been feeling Prince John out on his feelings towards US interests and she's confident John will be a good ally to the US. His Uncle Harold has a huge influence on him and…"

Control cut him off. "Kill him."

Snow paused for second, not sure he had heard her correctly. "Ma'am?"

"Did I stutter?" Control snapped. "I need Europe destabilized, some of the Europeans are talking about pulling out of the war. They need a shock. Make it messy."

Snow swallowed. "Yes, ma'am."

"Dismissed."

Snow got up and left the office. On his way out the receptionist handed him his ticket to Montrose.

* * *

Joss was relaxing in the John's private quarters. John had an official engagement at the children's hospital where he would see the latest prosthesis. He didn't want to cancel on the kids and Joss could not accompany him without outing their relationship. Joss had encouraged him to go, insisting she would be fine for a few hours. John had smiled and kissed her good bye, promising to be back in time to have a late dinner with her. She bid him a cheerful good bye and settled into his quarters to catch up on her movie viewing.

Her phone buzzed and she looked at it to see an unlisted number. She closed her eyes and prayed silently this wasn't what she thought it was. She got up and started making her way to the gardens.

On her way there she ran into King Harold, who was just coming in from his afternoon walk with Bear. Bear yipped happily at her and she bent to pet the dog. "Ah, Ms. Carter, it's good to see you. I understand that John is at the Children's Hospital this afternoon."

Joss smiled at the sovereign, she had come to enjoy the odd little man's company these last few days. "Yes, Your Highness. They have some new prosthesis he was eager to see. I understand IFT had a hand in their development."

Joss swore the King puffed out his chest. "Yes, my company had been working on a robotic prosthesis that looks far more natural than previous models."

"Well, I'm looking forward to hearing what John has to say about them," Joss replied cheerfully.

"As am I," the King said thoughtfully. "Perhaps you and John can join me for breakfast tomorrow and he can tell me about it. My chef makes a wonderful Eggs Benedict."

"That sounds lovely, but I don't know John's schedule," Joss said.

Harold smiled a little smile. "I have my secretary contact his. I **am** the king after all."

Joss laughed. "Then I think I shall see you tomorrow morning."

"Good evening Ms. Carter. Come along Bear."

Joss watched them go with a sad expression. Then she turned and hurried out the door into the gardens. She began strolling about as she were enjoying a nice spring afternoon in the palace's ancient and immaculate gardens. She walked about for several minutes, paying particular attention the placement of the various security cameras. As she got further away from the palace there were fewer and fewer.

Finally she stepped behind a large bush of some kind to find Mark Snow standing there.

"Do I want to know how you got in here?" She snapped at him.

He held up an ID card on a lanyard. "I got a new job in pest control. " He seemed to take great pleasure in his joke.

Joss was unimpressed. "So why are you here?"

"Control has ordered your Prince Charming eliminated."

Joss gasped and then swallowed hard to keep the bile from rising in her throat. "Why? He's an ally! He's already said he was would continue to work with us when he comes to the throne!"

"Control wants to destabilize the region." Snow shrugged. "Some of the European allies are getting complacent and she wants to shake them up."

Joss's mouth was dry. "When?"

"Tonight, after dark. You are going to suggest a walk through the gardens. Bring him here, I'll pick him off from the wall. Then we can get out of this crap hole."

Joss nodded, numb. _No no no no no this could not be happening._

Joss turned and walked back to the palace, trying to appear nonchalant, but inside she was screaming and crying. How could they do this to John? What was she going to do?

She sat down on the bench just outside the French doors leading to John's quarters and put her head in her hands. There was only one thing to do, tell John the truth. He was going to hate her for lying to him and she would never see him again.

But that's OK, because the CIA was going to kill her for betraying them.

Joss had known there was a snowball's chance in hell that she and John could ever be more than a fling. Even if the CIA had decided to let John live, there was no way a Prince and an assassin could ever be more. She had known that from the beginning, but she had not counted on falling in love.

For years she had been dead inside. Ever since she lost her husband and her baby, she'd been a robot. When the CIA had come calling she'd had no reason not to sign up, she was already dead as far she was concerned. But John had awakened something inside and she felt alive again.

She was alive again, just in time to die.

But it was better to die than to lose someone she loved again.

She got up and strode inside. Her decision was made.

She walked through John's sitting room and out into the hallway, looking for a staff member. The first staff member she saw was Ernie Trask, the maintenance man assigned to John's quarters. "Ernie, do know where Root is?"

"I think King Harold had a dinner with the French Ambassador at the embassy, so she would have gone with him. They're not supposed to be back for hours."

"Who's in charge of security when Root's not around?"

"Lionel Fusco, but he's with Prince John, they should be home any moment. Is something wrong? Can I help?"

Joss took a deep breath. "Thank you, Ernie. I'll talk to Lionel when he gets back."

Joss returned to her room and opened her suitcase. She opened a hidden panel and removed the parts for a plastic gun, specifically designed to fool airport security by the CIA's best. Expertly she had it assembled and loaded in seconds. She tucked it into the waistband of her jeans and covered it with her shirt. Then she returned to John's sitting room to wait.

It wasn't long before John and Lionel walked through the door.

Joss stood up. "John we need to talk."

John strode over to her and kissed her soundly, but Joss stepped back. "What's wrong?" he was puzzled.

"Lionel you need to stay for this too," Joss said, unable to meet John's eyes.

"Sure thing Joss, what's up?" Fusco replied.

Joss looked down at her hands. She knew her next words were going to ruin what was left of her life forever, but she had no choice. "I'm not who you think I am, I'm with the CIA."

"We know," John smirked.

"WHAT? And you still kept me around? Are you CRAZY?" Joss was aghast at his audacity.

Lionel chuckled. "Yes, he is." Then he turned sober. "Root did some hacking. We've known about you since before you came to Montrose."

Joss shook her head. "And you still brought me over. You still brought me into the palace and introduced me to your family."

John stroked her face. "I had a feeling about you. I felt something with you I haven't felt in a long, long time."

Tearfully, Joss reached out and touched John. "It was real," she whispered.

John pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. "I knew it."

"Um this is all touching and stuff, but I'd like to know why Joss wanted me around for her confession," Fusco interrupted reluctantly.

Joss stepped back from John's touch. She needed to focus right now. "My assignment was to get close to you and determine if you were a friend to the US. Your uncle had been a strong ally to us…"

"And your job was to be sure that I would carry on his polices once he passed," John finished for her.

She nodded, without looking at him, completely embarrassed. "Yes."

Lionel shrugged. "So what's the problem? John ain't gonna change nothin'."

"I told them that," Joss said. "But they've ordered the hit anyway."

Lionel looked at her, wild eyed. "Shit, when?"

"Tonight. I found out only a few minutes before you got back. My handler Mark Snow was on the grounds earlier. He's disguised as a pest control guy."

"Are there any other agents?"

"Not that I know of, but that doesn't mean a lot. Mark said he was going do it himself. I was supposed to ask John to take a walk in the gardens after dark and Mark was going shoot him from the wall."

"Stay here, I'm going to lock down the palace and initiate the search protocol." Lionel hurried out of the room, barking orders on his radio.

John took her hand as he gazed tenderly at her. "I knew you'd come clean eventually."

Joss gave him a tentative smile. "I have so much I need to say to you but I have no right to say a word. You should hate me right now."

"I could never hate you," John said softly. His tender smile and loving eyes told her he was telling the truth.

"You can't?" Joss didn't dare to hope. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes, but blinked them away.

John shook his head. "Everyone keeps telling me I should walk away from you, but I can't." He touched his forehead to hers. "I haven't felt this way in a long time."

"Neither have I." Joss swallowed back her tears. "After I lost Paul and then our baby, I was dead inside. I thought I would never feel again. John, I swear from the moment I saw you that this wasn't just another assignment. This was real." Her eyes begged him to believe her.

John lightly brushed his finger over her cheek. "I know."

"And I knew she'd betray her country."

Joss and John spun around to see Mark Snow standing in the open French doors. Joss had just enough time to scream, "NO!" when he pulled the trigger.

The next few seconds seemed like they unfolded in slow motion. John was hit by a bullet in the side, his body jerking as he started to fall. Joss pulled her gun, stepped in front of John, screaming at Mark and began firing at him. Mark fired again just as Joss hit him in the abdomen. Joss took a slug to the thigh, then one to the chest, her gun fell from her hand and she collapsed to the ground bleeding from her wounds. Fusco burst through the door, emptying his clip into Mark, killing him.

"Joss!" Distraught, John crawled to Joss. He cradled her head to his chest, heedless of his own wound. To his horror, he saw a large puddle of blood already forming under her. "Stay with me, oh god stay with me," he begged as Fusco frantically called on his radio for help.

Joss gasped for air. She knew she was dying, but she had one last thing to say. "I…love…you," she panted. Then her eyes closed and she went limp as John tearfully called her name. He kissed her forehead as he sobbed out his grief.

Fusco dropped to his knees trying to staunch the blood oozing from her chest. The EMT who was assigned 24/7 to the palace burst through the door and frantically began working on Joss. More security people arrived on scene and tried to pull John away from Joss's body, but he would not give her up until he, too passed out from his wounds.

* * *

 _ **Don't panic, there is still one more chapter to go!**_

 _ **The Montrose palace is based on Kensington Palace in London, which where several members of the royal family live. From what I have read, it's a big apartment building with different luxury quarters for it's famous residents.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Man, pretend to kill off our OTP, and y'all lose your minds! :) You guys know me better than that!**

 **So here's the last chapter. Once again I want to thank everyone who read and** **reviewed. I also want to thank my beta, nicdvdmaker for her help whipping this story into shape. Thanks to PiscesChikk for her solid suggestions as well. Also thanks the Mi Amore ladies for all their support.**

 **Let's get to it. I have some more angst to put our babies through before they get their happy ending.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

King Harold sat in his official office, patiently waiting for his call to go through. The screen at the front of the room sprang to life showing the sour visage of Control.

"Good evening Ms…"

Control cut him off. "I prefer to go by Control professionally."

King Harold nodded. "As you wish, Control. Your assassin has failed."

"Now Harold…"

But Harold cut her off. "I prefer King Harold, Your Highness, or Your Majesty. I'll even take sir."

Control looked like she had swallowed a bug. "Of course, sir. You've made a pretty serious accusation. You'd better be able to back it up."

"I can. Open your email. Your private email, not your government one."

Control's mouth dropped open. "How did you get my email…?" She typed on her laptop for a minute and then there was a sharp intake of breath.

Harold allowed himself a small smile. "As you can see I have videos, recordings of phone calls, flight records, everything I need to prove that you tried to assassinate my nephew and install your puppet on my throne. Rest assured that I will be taking steps to cut Duchess Kara out of the line of succession after this."

Control's lips set in a thin line as she opened the various attachments and saw that King Harold's documentation was complete and thorough. "So what do you intend to do with this?"

"Nothing, provided you agree to certain conditions," Harold replied.

"Do you really expect the US to cave in to blackmail?" Control snarled.

"May I remind you that I, as they say, have the receipts?" Harold shot back. "I worked with the US as an ally in good faith. I committed troops and resources to the war because I thought it was the right thing to do. I even convinced others to join us. I still think cooperating in the war on terror is the correct course of action in the long term, but I will not continue at the expense of my family or my country's sovereign integrity."

Harold locked eyes with Control. "I assume someone who has reached your lofty heights in the intelligence community is no fool. You know what will happen if I withdraw my support and release these materials. The US is already losing prestige in the international community thanks to your president's mercurial nature. This will seal America's reputation as a pariah among nations."

Control didn't reply for several seconds, but Harold could see the wheels turning in her head, so he waited. Finally she sighed. "What are your terms?"

"First you withdraw all personnel from Montrose and cease operations here. Any future operations will only be carried in full cooperation with the Montrosian intelligence to further international interests in the war on terror."

Control sneered. "We had very few operations in your country anyway. You're just not that important, sir."

Harold ignored her, he had expected some push back. "Second, you leave my family alone, no assassination attempts, no further attempts to undermine us or harm us in any way.

"Third, you and your top staff resign."

Control's face turned red. "You presume to tell America who can and can't serve her interests? How dare you!"

"I do presume," King Harold's tone was ice cold. "You have failed America in so many ways, Control. It was none of my business before, but now that your failures have spilled over into my country and my family, it is now my business. You've operated for far too long without accountability. That ends now, one way or the other.

"Fourth, Agent Carter suffers no repercussions for her actions in this matter. I am grateful to her for saving my nephew, as a reward I wish for her to live her life as she sees fit without having to look over her shoulder."

"She's a traitor. She should be punished as one," Control huffed.

"No. madam, she is not. She saved you from committing a very grave mistake. Had Agent Snow been successful, I would have released any and all materials embarrassing to the USA immediately and asked the European Union to impose stiff sanctions against the US.

"Keep in mind, I have other materials that I have not sent you. I know, for example, that you have discussed eliminating the French Prime Minister. I know of numerous shady business deals certain high ranking government officials have had with foreign governments.

"I have no wish to cause a constitutional crisis in your country, but if you do not agree in full to these terms I will. All of these terms are non-negotiable."

Harold sat back and watched Control carefully, he knew his demands would be hard to swallow, and he had no idea if Control's pride or her patriotism would win. He was prepared to follow through with his threats if pride won.

In the end, patriotism won. "Fine," Control snapped. "My resignation will be on the President's desk by the end of the month."

"You made the right choice," Harold responded. "Please advise your successor of our deal. I shall hold them to it. Enjoy your retirement."

Control cut the call without another word.

Queen Grace stirred from the corner behind the camera where she had been hidden. "Do you think she'll really walk away?"

Harold took off his glasses and tiredly rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I do. She knows the stakes are too high. I wasn't kidding about causing a Constitutional crisis."

Grace paused for minute and Harold could tell she was struggling with something. "Joss is alive?"

Harold put his glasses back on. "Yes, she survived, but it was touch and go for several days. She required two different surgeries and multiple units of blood. Had the palace been just a few miles further from the hospital or our staff EMT been just a bit less capable, she would have died.

"We felt it best to keep her survival a secret for John's sake. Once she is released from the hospital, she will be provided with a plane ticket home. I have ensured her safety and that she will be able to live her life without any interference from her former employer."

"What about John?" Grace gently pressed her husband. "Doesn't he deserve to know?"

Harold shook his head. "John made the assumption that Jocelyn's wounds were fatal and I have chosen to let him continue to believe it for the good of the country. He is the heir to the throne. Someday he will be King. Jocelyn Carter is entirely unacceptable as a consort."

Grace pursed her lips and her eyes flashed. "Jocelyn chose John over her service to her country. She did so knowing that she was going to lose everything, including her life. She had to know when she was confessing her mission to John and Fusco that the CIA would stop at nothing to kill her. She took a bullet for him and saved his life. I think that makes her more than acceptable."

Harold didn't say anything, but Grace knew her husband well enough to know he was thinking about what she said.

* * *

John lay in his bed staring at the ceiling. Bear lay on the bed next him, his chin resting on John's stomach. The dog had not left John's side since he had come home from the hospital a few days prior.

The doctors had been extremely pleased with John's progress, declaring that he would make a full recovery. But John knew he would never be the same, because Joss was dead. He closed his eyes and a tear slid out of one eye, down his temple into his hair. He didn't even bother to brush it away as he choked back a sob. Bear whined quietly and John stroked the dog's head to calm him.

This hurt worse than Jessica's death. As much as he had loved her, Jessica had died because she betrayed him, but Joss had died saving him. How would he ever get over that?

"I…love…you"

The look in her eyes as she gasped out her final words to him haunted him. He hadn't had the chance to tell her that he loved her too.

How do you get over losing someone who loved you enough to jump in front of a bullet for you?

 _You don't_ , his inner voice replied. _You're all alone now._

* * *

Joss floated in and out of consciousness for a several days. She didn't know where she was, and she didn't really care. All she knew was that she was in pain and that she was worried about John.

The first time she came fully conscious, there was a man she recognized as one of the royal bodyguards sitting by her bed. She struggled to speak, and finally managed to croak out one word. "John?"

"He's fine," The man said gruffly.

Joss closed her eyes, relieved. She slipped back into unconsciousness.

For the next few days Joss would sleep, wake for short periods of time, and then sleep again. Every time she woke up she hoped she would see John, but as the days passed she realized that he wasn't coming. There was only one conclusion, he no longer wanted to see her. Joss didn't think it was possible to hurt any more than she already did, but she was wrong. She wished she had died on the floor of the palace.

Her worst fears were realized a few days later when Root waltzed into in her room. "How are you feeling sweetie?" she asked in her simpering voice.

 _Haven't I suffered enough?_ Joss thought to herself. "Like Harold's favorite horse kicked me in the chest with spiked shoes."

"Glad you're feeling better," Root chirped. "Now let's talk about your future."

Joss snorted. "You mean the one where I spend the rest of my life in your prison for espionage, or the one where you turn me over to the CIA and they put a black hood over my head and a bullet in my brain?"

Root rolled her eyes. "So negative! Actually the answer is none of the above."

"Oh really?"

"King Harold was very appreciative of the fact you took that bullet for John. He's pardoned you for all your crimes committed against Montrose."

Joss snorted. "That just means that I get the hood and the bullet instead of life in prison."

"His Majesty thought of that. He had a little chat with what's her name? Control?" Joss nodded. "Cute name."

"Someone who goes by Root probably shouldn't snark."

Root's bright smile faded for a beat, then it was back. "Point taken. But to make a long, boring story short and not as boring, King Harold has lots of dirt on the CIA and if they so much as sneeze in your direction, or in the direction of Montrose, he releases it to every news organization in the world and withdraws from the coalition."

"And once Montrose withdraws the rest of the European Union will follow suit," Joss said.

"Especially once they learn the USA engaged in espionage and attempted assassination against an allied power," Root replied in her sing song voice. "Leaving the USA with egg on its face and a big international diplomatic mess on its hands that would take years to repair."

"So what does King Harold want from me?" Joss sighed.

Root produced a document from her bag and placed it in front of her. "Should King Harold have to release any information on the assassination attempt on Prince John, you agree to testify at the International Court of Justice, the UN, or anywhere and any place we need you.

"You also agree to leave Montrose, and not initiate any contact with the royal family. You go home and leave us alone, and we'll leave you alone."

Joss stared at the paper in front of her. This was more than she could have ever hoped for. Not only was she not going to spend the rest of her life in Montrose's prison, she was free without having to look over her shoulder all the time. It was perfect, except for one thing. She could never see John again.

But then, John didn't want to see her. She'd been in the hospital for weeks now, he'd had plenty of time to visit and he hadn't come. She couldn't blame him. Even if he had known she was CIA all along, she was part of a plot to murder him in cold blood. Whatever they had was now dust.

She signed the paper.

* * *

Queen Grace monitored Joss's recovery very closely. As the days wore on and Harold didn't tell his nephew that Joss had survived, she became concerned that their talk in the conference room had not had the impact she had hoped.

Grace was further concerned by John. He had recovered from his physical wounds fairly quickly, but his mental condition was shaky as best. He grieved Joss with an intensity that scared Fusco. He confessed to Grace that he watched John constantly to be sure the Crown Prince didn't commit suicide.

After a month, Grace discovered that Joss had been discharged from the hospital. Root had given her a plane ticket and a ride to the airport. Grace steeled herself, it was now or never.

* * *

Root walked into Joss's hospital room. "Are you ready to go home?"

Joss nodded sadly. "I guess." She was dressed simply in sneakers, yoga pants, t-shirt and hoodie. It was quite a contrast to the designer duds she had arrived in, but the rest of her luggage had already been taken to the airport, and this is all Root had brought her to wear.

"Here's your ticket. It's economy class," Root simpered. "But don't worry, we paid the baggage fees for the extra suitcases."

"Thank you," Joss replied tiredly. "Please tell King Harold how grateful I am he gave me my life back." She paused. "I don't suppose you could give John a message for me?"

Root smiled widely. "Not a chance in hell, sweetie. There's a car waiting for you downstairs, don't get any funny ideas about side trips to the palace before you go."

"No, I won't." Joss picked up her purse and walked out the door without another word.

* * *

Grace walked into John's apartment in the palace to see him pouring a drink. "Isn't a little early for that?" She asked.

"It's never too early to forget," John replied. "You have any women you want to get rid of? Send them over to me, I'll kill them just as surely as I put a bullet in their heads. All I have to do is love them. Cheers."

He lifted the glass to his lips but Grace reached out and grabbed his wrist. "John. Joss is alive."

John froze, staring at her with a stunned expression. The tumbler dropped from his hand, shattering on the floor, splattering his and Grace's shoes with the scotch. His jaw moved like he was trying to talk, but it took a couple of attempts. "Are you sure?" he finally managed to choke out. The desperate look in his eyes nearly broke Grace's heart.

"Yes. Harold and Root it kept it from you because they thought it would be easier for you."

John grabbed her upper arms. "Does this look like it was easy for me?"

"I know they did the wrong thing, John. But that's not important now. Joss has been released from the hospital. She's at the airport and if you don't 'haul ass' as Fusco would say, you'll miss her."

Without a word, John took off at a run. Grace picked up the phone sitting on the side table. "Have Prince John's car brought around the front immediately."

Then she marched off to have a few words with her husband.

* * *

Joss sat down at the gate with a wince and rubbed her chest. She wasn't sure if her chest hurt because the gunshot wound was still healing or because of her broken heart that would never heal. Maybe a little bit of both. It had been a long walk down the massive terminal to her gate and she was winded. Bleakly she looked around the crowded gate, wondering what awaited her in New York. She had no job, and no way to pay her bills. She had a little money put aside, but it wouldn't last long.

By far the worst thing was that John hated her, and she didn't blame him one bit. Silently she prayed for the strength she would need to rebuild her life. However, she was unable to think of any reason to be optimistic.

She pulled her hood up and slouched down in her seat trying to make herself as small as possible. She wanted to be alone in her misery.

* * *

John's driver pulled up to the curb outside the departure gates and John and Lionel tumbled out. John shot through the doors of the terminal like a the devil himself was on his heels and skidded to stop in front of the screen with the arrivals and departures, frantically looking for the next flight to New York.

"She's on flight seven-nine-nine, gate thirty two," His uncle's voice said in his earpiece. "They're about to start the boarding process, so you'd better run."

"Uncle Harold? I thought you didn't approve," John said as he took off running for the gates.

"I had my mind changed," Harold commented blandly. In the background John heard Grace's giggle. He resolved to buy her the best Christmas present ever this holiday season. Maybe a Picasso, or would she prefer Monet? "However, Ms. Carter has proven herself to be brave and loyal to you."

John raced through the terminal as people turned to stare. He didn't care, he was laser focused on finding Joss.

He bolted through the security checkpoint without bothering to stop. "Hey wait!" the security guard yelled. "You can't do that!"

Fusco was right behind him, waving his badge in the guy's face. "That's Prince John. It's his fucking airport! He can do that!" Then Fusco was off and running behind his friend, albeit a lot slower than John.

John flew down the terminal, dodging passengers, wheelchairs, and suitcases as he counted the gates. At one point he hurdled a little old lady's suitcase as she blinked at him in confusion. People turned to look at the madman running down the terminal and did a double take when they realized it was their Crown Prince.

John skidded to a stop at the gate to find it crammed with people. He paused, as he tried to find Joss in that mass of humanity. Finally he saw a small figure in a hoodie sitting with her back against the wall. He strode over and knelt in front of her.

"John?" Joss was startled to see him.

John took a second to look her over. Her skin was ashen, her eyes were red, and her hair was wild. She looked absolutely lovely to the man who thought he would never see her again. "You were going to leave without saying good bye?" He tenderly cupped her face in one of his large hands and gently rubbed his thumb along her cheekbone.

Joss covered his hand with hers. "Root led me to believe that wouldn't be a good idea."

John bowed his head. "She was wrong." John brought his other hand and cupped her other check with it. "Stay. Please."

Joss smiled. "Well, since you put it so eloquently."

John stood up and helped Joss to her feet. It was at that point a red-faced, puffing Fusco finally arrived on scene, holding his side. Seeing John with his arm around Joss he managed a smile. "I take it she's staying?"

John nodded. "Get us a cart. Joss is too weak to walk all the way back."

"She's not the only one," Fusco grumbled as he walked over to the podium and shoved his badge under the started gate attendant's nose. John watched with a smirk as the gate attendant looked up at him, and her eyes widened as she recognized him. He gave her a cheerful wave.

The cart arrived in minutes, and John settled Joss into a seat while the attendant babbled on about how they would get Joss's luggage off the plane and bring it to his car.

They were driven up the front to John's car. Joss sank gratefully into the plush seats with a sigh. Her luggage arrived shortly after that.

"Where to sir?" the driver asked.

John looked at Joss. With the biggest smile Joss had seen on him, he said, "Let's go home."

* * *

Almost as soon as Joss walked back in the door of the palace, the royal family began a publicity campaign to introduce Joss to the citizens of Montrose in such a way that they would accept her as their Princess and, someday, their Queen.

As Joss continued her recovery under John's watchful eye, Harold and Root filled in the holes in her CIA cover identity so that even the most hostile press couldn't find anything out of place. Root participated somewhat reluctantly, but Harold made it plain that Joss was going to be part of his family now and that he "would be most displeased" if anything came to light that reflected badly on that family. As much as Root disliked Joss for her part in the plot to kill John right under her nose, she was far more loyal to King Harold, so she delivered an airtight background. As far as anyone outside the Royal family was concerned, after Joss left the Army she finished law school, and then worked in the field of international law until she met John.

Once the backstory was set, certain palace staff members were recruited to begin dropping hints to the right people about a mystery woman who had saved the Prince's life and had been gravely injured. Speculation ran wild as to who this mystery woman was.

After a few days Harold ordered that Joss's name be leaked, then he kicked back with a smile to watch the feeding frenzy. The press was frantic to find anything they could on this Jocelyn Carter, who she was, and why she was a guest at the palace. They contacted anyone they could find who had the least connection to her. Her law school classmates, her army comrades, and even her high school principal were all interviewed. Harold had to pay for bodyguards for Joss's mother back in the states because the press were hounding her so badly.

After a few more days the palace acknowledged that John's life had indeed been saved by a guest at the palace named Jocelyn Carter. By then, Joss was up to making public appearances, so she began accompanying John to functions in an "unofficial" capacity. She quickly became the most photographed woman in Montrose. The press lost their minds when John planted a tender and public kiss on her lips confirming all speculation of a romance between the Crown Prince and the heroic commoner from the States.

Despite Harold's best efforts, not everyone was ready to accept Jocelyn Carter as Prince John's paramour. Some people were just not ready for an interracial Royal Family. There were several pundits who made blatantly racist remarks about the African American woman who had captured the prince's heart, causing an uproar. There were also several politicians and prominent citizens who were forced to make public apologies after making horrible comments. Two members of parliament and several local council members were forced to resign after they didn't think before they made vile social media posts. Another politician who made a coarse comment but refused to resign or apologize was officially snubbed by the royal family thereafter.

But for the vast majority of Montrose, the story of the handsome prince who was saved by the brave woman who nearly gave her life to save his was just too romantic to resist. More than one TV movie was made detailing the couple's relationship and Joss's heroism. It was all highly fictionalized, of course. They lost track of the number of books, poems and songs that were written. The public ate it up like the finest chocolate. Fusco had great fun teasing his friend, "It's a freaking fairy tale and you're the damsel in distress!"

John didn't care. As long as it got him Joss, he was on board.

It also helped that the very popular John was so obviously in love with Joss. Women swooned over the way he looked at her in the public appearances. "Find someone who looks at you the way Prince John looks at Jocelyn" became a popular meme on social media.

It didn't hurt that Joss was a beautiful and stylish woman. Her fashion choices were endlessly dissected by the press. If she wore a dress or coat, it instantly sold out from the original designer, and numerous knockoffs instantly flooded the market.

When the official engagement announcement was made, the market was immediately flooded with memorabilia, some of it tasteful and some, not so much. Root had far too much fun showing Joss the toilet paper with her face on it. Joss's mom bought a commemorative plate. Fusco bought his kid the John and Jocelyn matching Teddy bears.

When asked if she had gotten any of the merchandise, Joss would smile coyly and point to her ring.

* * *

Throughout the carefully orchestrated campaign to introduce Joss to the people of Montrose, King Harold was true to his word to Control and kept the US involvement out of it. Al Qaeda accidently helped when they took credit for the attempt on the Prince's life, claiming it was in retaliation for his service in Afghanistan. Only Harold, Grace, Root, Fusco, John and Joss knew the truth.

Duchess Kara was removed from the royal line of succession by an act of parliament. It was not aimed directly at her, it simply stated that any royal family member who spent less than fifty percent of their childhood in Montrose was ineligible to inherit the throne. Kara herself was fine with that, she loathed her father and Montrose. She never knew just how close she came to being Queen.

Control also kept her word. She turned in her resignation and dropped out of sight as promised. Root could find no trace of CIA operations in Montrose afterwards. Some back channel conversations between Root and the new head of US intelligence service confirmed that Control had briefed her successor on the deal she had struck with King Harold. Root was assured that "such an appalling lapse of protocol would not happen again."

"Trying to kill John was an 'appalling lapse in protocol'?" Fusco grumbled. "Sounds like they just spilled some tea!"

* * *

It's funny how you can be so focused on one person that you forget you're the center of attention of a church full of 500 guests and are being watched by millions around the world. It's funny how you can be so focused on that one person who anchors you to the world, that you ignore heads of state, important politicians, and the rich and famous. But that's exactly what happened when Crown Prince John of Montrose married his Princess, Jocelyn Carter of the United States. For the rest of their lives, the romantic among us would rave about how the Prince and Princess only had eyes for each other, like they were the only people in the room.

The bride and groom had wanted something low key and fairly private. But once King Harold got ahold of the planning, there was no stopping him from putting together a huge state function. Not even Queen Grace had been able to prevent a full state wedding.

The groom was nothing short of magnificent in the perfectly tailored formal black dress uniform of the Omega Force with gold braid details and a chest full of hard-earned medals. There wasn't a straight female in the room who didn't go weak in the knees at seeing him.

Since it was her second wedding, it was deemed improper for the bride to wear white. Joss opted for a silver lace sheath gown embellished with crystals to give it sparkle. It had an off the shoulder sweetheart neckline with short sleeves and a six foot train. It fit her like a glove, and it caused an international sensation. Wedding dress designers would complain for the next several seasons "All anyone wants is silver lace!"

Her veil was held in place by a diamond studded tiara that belonged to Queen Grace. The loan of one of one of the Queen's favorite tiaras was seen (correctly) as a signal that the Royal family welcomed Jocelyn into the family with open arms. She carried a bouquet of irises (for faith, hope, wisdom and valor) with ivy (for a strong bond of love in marriage). She completed the outfit by wearing pumps embellished with crystals.

John's jaw dropped when he saw her. She was glowing with joy when she saw her handsome groom. From the moment they saw each other they forgot they weren't alone and they each laser-focused on the other. If you were to ask them about it later, they honestly could not recall much of the ceremony. "I think there was a choir," John said once. There was, it was the Vienna Boys Choir. Fortunately just about every network on the planet was there so there were plenty of recordings for them to watch afterwards.

The reception afterwards was consisted of a sit-down luncheon hosted by His Majesty, King Harold. The king made a touching speech about the power of love. He warmly welcomed Joss to the family and then announced that henceforth Joss would bear the official title of Princess Jocelyn of Montrose.

Of course champagne flowed freely.

That night, John entered the bedroom he now officially shared with Joss, to find her wearing nothing but the tiara and a smile as she lounged in bed sipping champagne.

He leaned against the doorway. "Shouldn't you return that to Grace?"

Joss laughed and adjusted the tiara on her head. "I'll give it back tomorrow. Come here."

"I must obey the new Princess of Montrose." John pounced on the bed and began kissing Joss up her bare leg. Joss giggled, the sound feeding John's arousal. He reached the apex of her thighs and began kissing her back down the other leg.

"Tease!" Joss laughed.

John gave her a roguish smile from down by her ankle. Joss laughed again, sloshing some champagne onto her chest as she did so. John watched in fascination as a drop made its way down her breast until it hung tantalizingly on her nipple. He launched himself at her breast while she squealed with laughter. He happily lapped up the spill, then took her nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his teeth and tongue.

Joss moaned as John played with her nipple. He lifted her head from her beast to grin at her, and Joss gave him a seductive smile back. Then she poured a tiny amount of champagne onto her other breast with challenge in her eyes. He happily obliged her by turning his attention lapping up the champagne from her other breast, leaving little love bites as he did so. Joss's toes curled.

With a wicked smile, Joss poured some more champagne between her breasts so that it ran down her chest and stomach into her belly button. Once more John obligingly followed the trail with his tongue, all the while rolling a nipple between his fingers. Slowly he dragged his tongue down over her glistening skin, taking his time to taste her. Joss whimpered as he ran his tongue over her stomach gently, making sure he got every drop of the liquid. Her eyes rolled back into her head.

He glanced up at her face, finding great satisfaction at her blissful expression. Her eyes were closed and her lips were parted as she moaned out her pleasure. He loved doing this to her, his light, his love.

He took the champagne flute from her hand which caused her eyes to open with a questioning look. With a mischievous grin he poured a tiny portion over her swollen clitoris so that the bubbles in the champagne tickled the already sensitive nub. Joss's eye's opened wide and she arched her back with a cry.

John placed the flute on the bedside table and then dragged his tongue over her silky folds. Joss groaned. She buried her fingers in his hair urging him on, but he needed no urging. He began to lick her clit using short rapid strokes. She was undulating with pleasure as John lavished his attention on her pearl to the point where he had to hold her legs in place so he could continue.

She came screaming his name. John took a minute to admire his handiwork. His princess was completely naked, her curly hair was wild underneath the tiara, and her skin was covered in the faintest sheen of sweat.

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Take those clothes off!"

John began unbuttoning his shirt with Joss's help. They had his shirt was off in short order. Joss pushed him down on the bed with a wink "My turn!" She grabbed some more champagne from the bedside table and dribbled some onto his chest and stomach, then began licking it off as he writhed and moaned beneath her. She reached his belt buckle, swiftly undoing it, yanking his pants down and off him.

John wore clothes well. His tall lean frame was perfect for modeling, but in Joss's opinion he was even better naked. John had kept himself in fighting shape. His chest was well defined and his stomach remained flat despite the rather rich food and drink the palace kitchens supplied. If he so much at as took one step out in the sun he tanned beautifully, making his blue eyes pop. He was perfectly proportioned down to his long, thick cock.

Joss's eyes were drawn to his already hard manhood. She took it in hand and lowered her mouth to it. Her tongue rolled around the head, tasting his salty pre-cum. She heard her husband hiss as she continued to lick him. Then she slowly took him into her mouth concentrating on keeping her throat open so she could take in his entire length in.

John watched in fascination as he vanished between Joss's red, full lips. His head fell back and he moaned as he focused on the feel of her mouth around him. When she hummed, he nearly came apart, it felt so good.

Joss released him from her mouth and straddled him while he was still blissfully helpless. She lined him up with her entrance and sank down on him until he was completely enveloped within her body. "Joss…" John choked out. Joss rolled her hips and he made a strangled noise. Joss set a languid pace, raising up and dropping back down, slowly. John had grabbed her hips urging her to move faster, but she denied him, keeping to her slow steady pace.

With a growl, John flipped her on her back and began wildly thrusting into her, letting himself lose all control. Joss half laughed/half moaned as John kept thrusting until she came. As she tightened around him John felt the pressure build in him, too, until he exploded with pure bliss.

Not wanting to crush Joss, but not wanting to lose contact with her either, John rolled over onto his back while still holding her so that she was laying on top of him. She snuggled down onto his chest with sigh of contentment. "That was good practice for producing an heir," she commented.

John groaned, not with pleasure this time. "Really? Has Uncle Harold been after you already?"

"No, Harold is cool. He wants me to help with some trade treaties once we get back from the honeymoon. The reporter from channel 6 was speculating the other day as to when there would be the 'pitter patter of little royal feet'."

"Welcome to the world of The Royal Family,' John commented dryly. "Where your private decisions aren't private."

Joss laughed then kissed his chest. "As long as I'm with you, I can survive anything. Even nosey reporters and a bullet in the chest."

John pulled her in for a kiss. "We're in this together, for good."

"Agreed," Joss purred. She sat up so that she straddled his hips again. "Now about that royal heir…"

* * *

 **I think my favorite scene was John and Fusco running through that airport and Fusco waving his badge under the nose of the security guard. I'd wanting to do scene like that for some time, but with all the security in airports these days, I couldn't figure out way to do it until now. Of course the future sovereign of the country would be allowed to skip security!**

 **Those of you who followed the Royal romance between prince Harry and Meghan Markle probably recognize a lot of this story. It was a fun new AU to write. PiscesChikk made the original suggestion and this story flowed pretty easily once I sat down to write. Some days you just need the right prompt!**

 **Thanks again, everyone for all your support!**


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